The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
At the present time there is a growing interest in the development and use of autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles typically make use of one or more LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors to provide real time detection of objects around the perimeter of the vehicle while the vehicle is in use. Typically, a circular LIDAR sensor is disposed on a surface of the vehicle and includes a laser light generating subsystem that generates laser light pulses over a predetermined arc, for example 30-75 degrees, and which is scanned about a 360 degree field of view (FOV) around the perimeter of the vehicle. The LIDAR sensor also typically makes use of a housing having a circular lens through which the laser light pulses are emitted and received. It is important that the circular lens is kept clean for the LIDAR sensor to operate in its intended manner. Dust, dirt, mud, slush, sleet, rain water and other contaminants that collect on the lens of the LIDAR sensor can adversely affect its operation. Accordingly, there is a need for some system and/or method which is able to clean a substantial portion of a circular lens of a circular LIDAR sensor while the vehicle is in use, and which does not otherwise affect the operation of the LIDAR sensor or obstruct the transmission or reception of laser light pulses generated by the LIDAR sensor.